Introduction
The spirit of Christmas is the story’s central theme, which gives us an insight into Victorian England. Ebenezer Scrooge, a narrow-minded, selfish man who loathes Christmas was hard on the people who worked for him. Christmas ghosts visit him, allowing him to glance at himself as a man who loves money over his fiancé. Scrooge is horrified when the ghost of Christmas past gives him a vision of his death. Scrooge has learned from the ghost’s journey through time and space, so when he wakes up on Christmas morning, he is happy and spends the day enjoying Christmas with his niece. He said, “Christmas is a time of kindness, tolerance, love, and joy.” (Bezkorovaynaya et al. 311). Mr. Fezziwig, on the other hand, is portrayed as the more commercial side of the holiday season. Because he cares about the people who work for him, he shows his kindness and generosity by throwing them a Christmas party. At first, Scrooge’s character hates Christmas and despises the holiday spirit. This is because he claims he does not celebrate Christmas and cannot do it with lazy people so he does this to show that he does not care about Christmas.
The concepts of poverty and social responsibility arose from the fact that poverty levels were much higher than today. Scrooge is a selfish, greedy person with no social responsibility to others. The death of Scrooge’s friend does not affect him; instead, his main concern is his income. It is no wonder that Scrooge does not care about helping people he does not even know, as does not care about his friends. When the ghost of Christmas shows up when his ex-fiancée breaks up with her, it becomes clear that Scrooge is afraid of being poor. Bell explained that their engagement was like a contract because we were both lacking at the time. This shows that Scrooge intends to improve his financial situation. A beautiful young woman without a dowry has no means of bringing marriage from her family, making the spouse even more aggressive and attractive. Due to his selfishness, members of the lower caste took over his property after he left. If he were a better person, his wealth would not have been stolen but would have been accepted by people with gratitude. When he thus fails in his social responsibility, Scrooge can see the consequences of his actions.
The theme of families as it includes many families and shows them as happy, kind, and loving. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows us Scrooge’s past life. During the holidays, when everyone else was visiting their families, he felt very lonely at the boarding school. This shows that Scrooge’s family did not get along well with him. Cratchit family shows the importance of family bonding at Christmas. When Bob Cratchit learned that his daughter did not come home, he was apprehensive. However, Scrooge begins his journey of redemption after admitting his guilt. Scrooge said, “I will reside in the history, present, and later” and “I will remember Christmas in my heart” Scrooge uses the frequent use of “I do” to show someone who is in a very desperate situation at this time (Bezkorovaynaya et al. 309). Scrooge admits that he cannot change the past, but his promise to make amends in the future when he says ‘tribute Christmas.’ (Bezkorovaynaya et al. 312). Scrooge accepted Ben Cratchit, received his nephew’s request to prepare Christmas dinner, and gave it to the charity workers. This shows that Scrooge has changed due to his spiritual studies.
Symbols
Using imagery to emphasize the concept of social class; the gap between the lower class and the upper class is clearly shown. Miss Havisham and Miss Jo, for example, are engaging in the details of their costumes. Mrs. Joe is a blacksmith’s wife at the bottom of society. He wore a rough, heavy apron. He never took it off, even with pins and needles in it. Miss Havisham symbolized high society because of her expensive silk, lace, and satin dresses. She prefers sewing with fancy rings and beads to sewing for utility. The heaviness of Miss Havisham’s skirt and the delicate delicacy of the apron are just two examples of the difference between the women seen and felt in this description. The image of high society is cold, challenging, and statuesque. When Pip kisses Estella, on the cheek, is compared to a statue because she is so beautiful and noble. Imagine how the lips would feel like marble when Pip touched her soft cheeks. The image of Estella is truly enhanced in all its ugly and unshakable social glory. It is clear why Pip is so attracted to her and is motivated to change her situation.
An example of symbolism is the image of Mrs. Havisham’s garden. Pip spent his childhood in the garden, noticing the general stench of rot and decay. The wealthy society to which Mrs. Havisham belongs is a symbol of the decaying park. This aristocratic, privileged society is also rotten. Similarly, the image of vermin in Mrs. Havisham’s house evokes a public image of decay and decay surrounding the old lady. Old dreary houses are swarms of cockroaches and spiders and represent the upper class of corruption. The Resurrection, Present, and Future of Christmas; the first ghost Scrooge sees is a symbol of what happened to Scrooge and the memories that make him the scumbag he is today. Scrooge’s memory area is hinted at by a second burning ghost who arrives at Scrooge’s house with a party and renovated rooms, in contrast to Scrooge’s cold residence and the wealth of the entire family. As a symbol of lasting peace, the ghost also carries a collar but no sword. The last soul represents fear and uncertainty about the future, as it is silent and dressed in black.
Conclusion
Mistakes can be learned and avoided in the future. Our failures and mistakes can sometimes provide us with our most valuable lessons. In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge realizes his error and missed opportunity. Scrooge used to say many harsh and harmful things, but in the end, he softens when he realizes he needs to change. He can still learn from his mistakes and prevent them from happening again, although he cannot change the past. As a result, he was portrayed as a completely different person from the beginning. Redemption, is undoubtedly an essential theme, as Scrooge was initially seen as a scary older man. Since you cannot change what happened yesterday, there is no point in blaming the workers or the voters. Learn from your successes and failures by conducting an objective test and honest analysis.
Works Cited
Bezkorovaynaya, Galina T., Luiza N. Gishkaeva, and Natalia T. Pakhsarian. “Semantics of festivities in “Christmas Carol” by Ch. Dickens.” RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism 25.2 (2020): 305-314. Web.